Category Archives: Inspirational

Rita Gerlach fell in love with the American History near her Maryland home and her novels have evolved from that fascination. Through the past ten years, Rita has published six novels and her seventh one is just released. It is the third in a series called DAUGHTERS OF THE POTOMAC published by Abingdon Press. Many of her faithful fans have been anxiously waiting to find out what happens next. What does Rita say about this last book in her trilogy. “I think Beyond the Valley is my favorite out of the three. Sarah seemed to resonate with me on so many levels. She is a wife and expectant mother, a loyal friend, a grieving widow. Her faith is shown in a way relevant to the times she lived in, not just a Sunday Christian, but a virtuous woman whose daily walk with God required ultimate trust. I hope for those who have read books 1 and 2 in the series will read Beyond the Valley to discover how Sarah came to River Run and the many trials she faced and the love she finds in a compassionate physician, Alex Hutton.”

Reviewers believe this book is her best as well.

Romantic Times BOOK REVIEW: Creating characters with intense realism and compassion is one of Gerlach’s gifts. Her books typically involve dramatic situations, giving her characters a chance to rise above their adversity. Beyond the Valley is a shining example of that, reminding us that we are never forsaken. This is the third in the Daughters of the Potomac series. Sarah’s character was introduced in the first novel, Before the Scarlet Dawn, and now she has her own heartwrenching story that takes us from England to Virginia and Maryland. The historic setting is vividly descriptive, bringing the story to life, almost becoming a character unto itself. You may shed some tears, but you’ll come away with deep contentment and satisfaction of a story well told.

MaryLu Tyndall, author of the Surrender to Destiny Series:Beyond the Valley is a delightful escape of adventure and romance and a sweeping saga of tragedy and hope that you won’t want to miss!

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Here’s a little about Beyond the Valley.

When Sarah Carr’s husband Jamie drowns, her young life is shattered and takes a turn that she never expected. Pregnant and widowed, she reaches out to Jamie’s family for help, but they are unwilling. Instead they devise a plan to have her kidnapped through deception and taken to the Colonies to live a life of servitude.

In Virginia, Sarah is auctioned to a kindly gentleman to serve his eccentric wife. After she meets Dr. Alex Hutton, and is loaned to him to help with his orphaned nieces, hope comes alive he will find a way to free her. But when The Woodhouses go bankrupt and sell off all they own, Sarah is sent away. She faces hardships in the wilderness, and is soon surrounded by a family’s whirlwind of secrets, praying the young doctor she loves will find her again and bring her freedom

Beyond the Valley, BOOK 3 in the DAUGHTERS OF THE POTOMAC series is available in ebook and paperback in all fine book stores. Amazon http://tinyurl.com/8dta3o2

In FLASHBACKS in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: Surviving the Flood–a healing and inspiring memoir, Leslie Raddatz has written a book vital to the medical community and medical schools, to students of psychology, psychiatry and social work as well as to fellow victims of abuse and military veterans suffering with PTSD. For someone who has never experienced abuse, it is a revelation to see what victims endure and suffer through. Many social workers, for instance, don’t understand why women who have been abused by their husbands keep returning because it is not logical, but Leslie explains how the victim feels along with what is happening inside her mind–the flashbacks that bring the past into the present and make it feel just as dangerous as it did originally. Personally I can’t imagine having such things replayed over and over again in my mind. Leslie’s courage to take back her life and her renewed faith in God combines to rebuild her life and her family’s life with healthy positive skills replacing self-destructive behavior. This “road map” back to sanity is a must read for everyone. What’s more, told as a personal story, “Flashbacks…” has far more value than dry scientific text books that fail to empathize with the horror and trauma victims experience. Instead it draws you in and keeps you glued to each episode to find out what happens next. How will she overcome this living hell? It’s not a sob story though. Leslie does not want you to pity her. She wants you to understand what it is like to live in her shoes. It also helps readers see that anyone can suffer from PTSD if placed under “breaking-point” conditions. Kudos, Leslie! In time, Leslie’s journey and advocacy may become the hallmark of fellow suffers’ healing and recovery.

ABOUT LESLIE RADDATZ

Leslie has lived in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, most of her life. She has three children, two daughters and a son, and is happily married to a supportive man. She has had many traumas and abuse in her life but she also has had many mentors who helped her along the way. She started working for a fast food restaurant at 16 years old and today she works for an administrative office as an office manager. When she was 18 years old, she became pregnant while still in high school. She was on welfare and received WIC (Women, Infants, Children), Federal help which gave food stamps and a monthly check. She experienced first-hand how people judge and mistreat others in need of help. She dedicated herself to working hard to earn society’s respect and to beat the odds again. Her education includes four degrees: Office Assistant Degree and Administrative Assistant Associate Degree -specializing in software support from a Technical College. She also graduated from the E-Seed program to help her start up her own business.
She received The Achievement Against the Odds Award in 2002 because three of her instructors nominated her. She also has a Bachelor in Business Administration and Bachelor in Marketing. She accomplished all these degrees while battling with her Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, conversion and somatization disorders while also raising a family, working and going to night classes full-time. She has beaten all the odds that were stacked up against her. She is proud to be a Survivor. Her mission in life now is to help others like her with mental illness and to give them hope, encouragement and inspiration that if she can heal so can they.

BACK COVER BLURB:

Flashbacks in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: Surviving the Flood

Childhood for Leslie Raddatz is one continuing nightmare. To survive, she represses her memories until one day, when she is a 34-year-old woman, a wife and mother, her past erupts into the present with a full blown flashback. It is the onset of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and it threatens to destroy what mental and physical endurance she has salvaged through the years. But, her child within cries out for recognition and mercy. More psychological disorders emerge — somatization and conversion. Is she to lose everything and everyone she loves to the madness of her past?

She agrees to relive her childhood under the protection of a professional counselor and comes to understand how her parents’ neglect made her an easy target for predators who sexually, physically and emotionally abuse her over and over again. She graduates from victim to survivor while detailing today’s sophisticated techniques that help her heal: Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), attachment and ego state therapy, Brainspotting, positive imagery, resource building, coping skills, art therapy, task therapy, and counseling.

Once you read Leslie’s story, you can take comfort in the hope she offers and follow her example on your own healing journey.

At the Crossroads of Humanity is found many challenges and conflicts. Author Rob Ballister has focused on those times in his life when his belief in God and his sense of humor have saved his life. In this special book, he delivers a touching and entertaining portrait of his journey through dating, growing up in New Jersey, and surviving cancer. Along the way, he learns that God Does Have a Sense of Humor. Follow him:

Through surgery—My understanding was that the doctor, while hopping up and down on one foot and singing the national anthem, was going to remove my lymph nodes using a butter knife, a hacksaw, and some 10W-30 motor oil.

Into the confessional—There sat Father Riener, who was technically old enough to have been one of the original apostles. As I began reciting my list, Father began falling asleep. Being only in the fourth grade, I did exactly what I did at home when my younger sister fell asleep. I kicked him.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

A native of Martinsville, NJ, Rob graduated the United States Naval Academy in 1994 with a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering, and served on the Joint Staff for six months before heading for flight school in January 1995. He was redesignated as a Civil Engineer Corps officer in December of that year, and his first CEC duty station was at Marine Corps Base Quantico, VA, as deputy head of the planning section. Following that tour, he moved to California for duty with the Navy Seabees. While with Naval Mobile Construction Battalion FORTY, he served as Charlie company commander, Air Detachment officer-in-charge (during two separate deployment cycles), and Civic Action Team Pohnpei officer-in-charge. His experience as company commander earned him the Pohnpei OIC billet during his second deployment, where he led a team of Seabees on humanitarian missions in a third world country. He also deployed to operations in support of the US Support Group East Timor. After his battalion tour, LCDR Ballister transferred to Engineering Field Activity Chesapeake, where he worked in the construction office at Andrews Air Force Base. During this tour he was also assigned temporarily to the White House Military Special Programs Office.

Rob has also done extensive work with community youth, beginning well before his military career when he coached little league baseball for three seasons while still in high school. At Quantico, he coached three sports over five MWR seasons, and recently resumed his coaching “career” in San Diego with the local MWR organization as a basketball coach. In addition, he has been a volunteer religious education teacher for four years, and has taught math, english, military drill, religious doctrine, morality, and a variety of sports to children ranging in age from 6 to 17.

In addition to his undergraduate degree, he holds a Masters of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Maryland, and is a registered professional engineer in the state of Maryland. He is also a member of the Society of American Military Engineers.

The publishing of “God Does Have a Sense of Humor” was the culmination of over ten years of writing and re-writing Rob’s experiences from his life, including his military experience and his surviving cancer. Rob is married to his beautiful wife, Ivy, and they reside in Maryland with their daughter Kyla and their dog Toby.

In this vivid retelling of the founding of the United States, the actual historical events, including the real British and colonial leaders who provided the catalyst for them, and breathtaking moment-by-moment recreations of the pivotal battles converge with two compelling characters in a suspense-filled story of espionage, intrigue, and romance. On the ruins of war and loss, Elizabeth Howard and Jonathan Carleton build an enduring legacy of love, hope, faith—and freedom—at the “crossroads of humanity.”

Joan M. Shoup, writing as J. M. Hochstetler, writes stories that always involve some element of the past and of finding home. Born in central Indiana, the daughter of Mennonite farmers, Joan grew up in the Amish and Mennonite community outside Kokomo and graduated from Indiana University with a degree in Germanic languages. Her life’s ambition was to marry a nice Mennonite farmer, settle down to raise babies and crops, and become an artist.As we all know, life has a way of throwing curve balls . . .Instead, while raising three daughters, she discovered writing after an intriguing dream that begged to be developed into a novel. Several new stories followed, all gathering a collection of rejection slips. Years later she moved from Indiana to Tennessee and eventually became an editor with Abingdon Press, where she worked for twelve years before founding her own small press, Sheaf House Publishers.Joan is the author of the critically acclaimed American Patriot Series. The first three volumes, Daughter of Liberty, Native Son, and Wind of the Spirit are currently available, with four more volumes planned in the series. Joan is also the author of One Holy Night, a retelling of the Christmas story set in modern times. One Holy Nightwas the 2009 Christian Small Publishers Fiction Book of the Year and a finalist for the 2009 American Christian Fiction Writers Book of the Year.Joan is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Advanced Writers and Speakers Association, Christian Authors Network, Middle Tennessee Christian Writers, and Historical Novels Society. She loves to garden, scrapbook, travel, spend time with her grandchildren, and most of all read good stories and write. She and her husband, a retired pastor with the United Methodist Church, enjoy camping in their fifth-wheel trailer. They live near Nashville, Tennessee.

SELLING POINTS

The only comprehensive historical fiction series on America’s founding, the American Patriot Series sweeps readers into a tumultuous world of revolution. Beginning in April 1775, Daughter of Liberty and its sequels, Native Son and Wind of the Spirit, set in motion the thrilling saga that will follow Elizabeth Howard and Jonathan Carleton as they face the devastation and triumphs of war—from the American colonists’ first armed confrontation with the British to the spreading inferno along the frontiers of Indian territory, through the battles raging in the Middle and Southern colonies and on the high seas, and at last to the final, decisive assault at Yorktown.

At the crossroads of humanity, Joy Dekok tackles the topic of abortion, a very controversial issue amongst Christians. The shape of her novel began with these questions: What happens when a Christian woman facing a childless future and a woman seeking an abortion are waiting to see the same doctor?

What if after that “chance” encounter they are unable to forget each other? What if they find themselves drawn together in spite of their drastic differences by their surprising similarities? Can a woman who can’t have children and one who chooses abortion be friends? What if they somehow find the courage to become friends? What if abortion is more than a controversial political issue? What if infertility is more than a private crisis?

Rain Dance delves into the often silent battles and surprising hypocrisies found in the lives of women facing the personal crisis of abortion and infertility. In this sensitive and unique story, Joy Dekok takes readers into the lives of two fictional women to see if there are answers to these and other difficult questions.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Joy Dekok is the author of several books currently in publication. She and her husband live on 35 acres of woods and field in Minnesota on thirty-five acres of woods and fields, just north of Rochester. Joy doesn’t believe in easy answers or that she has God figured out. She is a seeker who has been found, but who continues to seek to know God better. She loves Him more because He has both made Himself known to us, and is so big He is still a mystery. Joy has been writing most of her life and as a popular speaker shares her heart and passion for God with women. In her own words: “I’m dedicated to writing with integrity – my faith demands it and the story, which is both plot and character-driven, required it. I didn’t choose this topic. It chose me one day while I was cleaning the house. I told God I thought it was a great idea and I hoped He’d find an author for it. Although I argued with Him for almost a year, I realized, He already had His author. Me. You can be pro-life and not be militant. As a Christian who is pro-life or an atheist who is pro-choice you can admit your hypocrisies. Jesus loves post-abortive women and so do I.”

SELLING POINTS

Publisher and editorial director Joan Shoup contracted Rain Dance because it fits the editorial guidelines and the commitment of Sheaf House to publish novels written with excellence, that are unafraid to dive deep into the heart of sometimes “untouchable” topics, and offer a powerful redemptive message for readers.

“Rain Dance is the perfect fit for Sheaf House,” Joan says. “The author has written a beautiful story her test readers and reviewers love. She didn’t shy away from the difficult and refused to end the novel with ‘happily ever after.”

Host author Rita Gerlach has estabished a forum for New Book Releases and Letters to Readers from authors of Inspiration Fiction in her Stepping Stone Magazine for Readers. Rita herself is an author of Inspirational Historical Fiction with a romantic edge.

Guidelines.

Most of the authors featured in Stepping Stones Magazine for Readers write for the Christian Books marketplace. Authors must be published with a legitimate publisher, not print on demand or self-publishing, that has bookstore placement as well as Internet ordering. Authors’ submissions are welcome.

ABOUT RITA GERLACH

Based in Frederick, Maryland, Rita discovered a love for the area’s history that nudged her soul to write about that period when the dream to be free forged a new American nation, the United States. In her historical fiction, she bridges life between England and the new American colonies along the Catoctin Mountains, amid Civil War battlefields and Revolutionary War outposts in central Maryland. Rita has published four historical novels plus articles in Writers Gazette, Write to Inspire, Will Write 4 Food, and The Christian Communicator. She also is the editor of Stepping Stones Magazine, an online website focused on writing, marketing, and promotion for writers. She is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and The Western Maryland Writers Guild.

Her first book, Surrender the Wind published by Abingdon Press, debuted to great acclaim.

~ An inspiring romance of Revolutionary War Virginia and Georgian England ~

After a harrowing escape from the British, patriot Seth Braxton finds his father dead at Yorktown. Battle scarred and grieving, he endeavors to restore the land his father loved along the Potomac. Thinking he will forever stay in the secluded wilderness, he receives a message that he has inherited his grandfather’s estate in faraway England. Seth is torn between the land he’s fought for and the prospect of reuniting with his sister, Caroline, who was a motherless child at the onset of the Revolution, taken to England in order to spare her the horrors of war. With no intention of making his stay at Ten Width permanent, he journeys to England to do his duty. When he arrives, he finds his sister in the throes of grief after being told her young son has died of a fever. In the midst of so much tragedy, he meets Juleah, the daughter of an eccentric landed gentleman. Her independent spirit and gentle soul steal his heart, and she becomes his wife and lady of the manor, enraging the man who once sought her hand and hoped Ten Width would be his own.From the Virginia wilderness, to the dark halls of an isolated English estate, Seth inherits more than a crumbling ancestral home. He uncovers a sinister plot that leads to murder, abduction, and betrayal — an ominous mix that threatens to destroy his new life and new love.

New “Daughters of the Potomac” Series

Set along the peaceful shores of the Potomac and the rolling hills of Derbyshire, England, comes a series of three novels that will take readers on a journey of redemption, as three women search for love and acceptance in a world that would deny them both.

Now the first of her new series — Before the Scarlet Dawn — tells Eliza’s story: A young woman longs for acceptance and leaves behind all she has in order to follow her heart and the man she loves into the Maryland wilderness. But will her love and faith protect her from the trial she must face? Will she find the true meaning of companionship? And how will she face the world when she is rejected by those closest to her?

In 1775, Hayward Morgan, a young gentleman destined to inherit his father’s estate in Derbyshire, England, captures the heart of the local vicar’s daughter, Eliza Bloome. Her dark beauty and spirited ways are not enough to win him, due to her station in life. Circumstances throw Eliza in Hayward’s path, and they flee to America to escape the family conflicts. But as war looms, it’s a temporary reprieve. Hayward joins the revolutionary forces and what follows is a struggle for survival, a test of faith, and the quest to find lasting love in an unforgiving wilderness.

The Last Jump is a historical novel of World War II. America had its trials and tribulations with racial and gender bias and struggled with these issues throughout the War. A segregated military and a condescending attitude toward women made it extremely difficult for these groups to fully participate and prove themselves. But not impossible!

Many women joined non-combat units (WACS and WAVES) as nurses and administrators and yet 16 were awarded Purple Hearts for wounds received. Those who stayed home went into the factories and built the victuals of war; they fueled the “arsenal of democracy”. And another group, numbering more than one thousand, ferried fighter planes and bombers from war plants to bases, freeing up men for combat. They did this for two-thirds the pay and no military benefits despite 38 being killed in the line of duty. They flew the planes the men were afraid to fly.

No Medals of Honor were awarded to African-Americans during World War II despite over 1 million serving and fifty thousand being assigned to combat jobs. The “colored” combat units were “experimental” with political forces pushing in both directions (more units or none). But these elements proved themselves in combat and in 1997, seven African-Americans were awarded the Medal of Honor, six posthumously, in an East Room Ceremony at the White House.

Some claim that these were dark days for social justice in American history and a chapter we should all be ashamed of. I would rather think of those times as the turning point in gender and racial relations in America. The realization of true equal opportunity for African-Americans and women in our country can justifiably be dated to the War. The characters in The Last Jump lived these challenges and emerged from the crossroads on the right path.

The Last Jump is both a tribute and a “thank you” to all who served the United States, in any capacity, during the greatest conflagration in history. I would like to also thank my readers for their wonderful reviews, gracious comments and support for the book.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

John E. Nevola makes his literary debut with The Last Jump, a historical novel based on United States airborne operations in Europe during World War II. The study of this conflict has been the author’s lifelong passion and he weaves a compelling tale of courage and sacrifice set in a historically accurate backdrop in an extraordinary time in American history. A retired Information Technology executive, Nevola has been widely published in business magazines with numerous articles on disaster recovery and terrorism. He authored a column for a military post newspaper while serving in the United States Army and is a member of the Military Writer’s Society of America. Nevola was born in New York City and is a graduate of Cardinal Hayes High School and the College of Aeronautics. He resides in Mount Olive, New Jersey, with his wife of 45 years. They have four children and six grandchildren. Proceeds from The Last Jump are donated to assist families of the fallen through the Freedom Alliance Scholarship Fund.

The Last Jump is a war story, a mystery, a love tale, a touch of history and a narrative of valor and honor about the people who won World War II. Fact and fiction intermix seamlessly to unravel a secret passionately guarded by four old soldiers. The reader is transported back in time to an imperfect America, with all its incredible virtues and vexing shortcomings, struggling with racial and gender issues while fighting for its very survival. The Last Jump takes us back to a time when Americans stood shoulder to shoulder to free the world from tyranny in defense of liberty and freedom. It celebrates the spirit and the courage of ordinary citizens pitted against the militaristic societies of Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan. It was a time when the sons of presidents and senators served, fought, bled and died alongside average citizens and famous celebrities.

World War II buffs will enjoy this book because the story unfolds over a tapestry of actual and accurate historical events. Fans of the Band of Brothers miniseries will gravitate to the realistic portrayal of paratroopers. United States Army Rangers play a prominent role in the story, as do the “Stonewallers” of the 29th “Blue-Gray” Infantry Division. It acknowledges the shipbuilders of the Homefront including “Rosie the Riveter” characters as well as female ferry pilots.

The Last Jump is both a tribute and “thank you” to the Greatest Generation. Its inspirational and patriotic message evokes both the agony and the glory of the greatest conflict in human history and the special generation that earned the final victory.